Hose guide and support



United States Patent 104.38N, 246.5; 254/190; l34/166C, 167C [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,165,109 1/1965 Hammelmann t. 134/167C 3,351,968 11/1967 Masters l5/l04.3

Primary Examiner Edward L. Roberts Attorney-Strauch, Nolan, Neale, Nies and Kurz ABSTRACT: A sewer conduit cleaning apparatus of the type wherein a hose is coiled on a rotatable reel in a truck comprises a manhole ring mounted for vertical, horizontal and rotative adjustments on the truck and incorporating a clamp structure where a guide member for the hose is releasably clamped during insertion of the nozzle end of the hose, and

suitable lengths of rod are attached to the guide member to adjustably lower it into the conduit to be cleaned.

Patented Aug. 4, 1970 INVENTOR CHARLES J. PRANGE ATTORNEYS manhole ring;

US. PATENT 3,522,815 HOSE GUIDE AND SUPPORT BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention relates to sewer cleaning and like apparatus of the type wherein a nozzle of the self-propelling type at the end of a'hose is introduced through a manhole opening into a sewer or like conduit to be cleaned. This type of apparatus is generally known as shown for example in Hammelmann Patent No. 3,165,109 and Goss 3,321,184. The invention herein provides an efficient safe manner of guiding and lowering the hose nozzle into position and holding it there without the need of an operator entering the manhole passage.

Prior to the invention it was common practice to introduce the nozzle into a separate guide member on the end of a long shaft held by an operator, who would then lower the guide member through the opening until it was within the conduit, at which time the upper end of the shaft would be clamped to a manhole ring loosely laid across the top of the opening. Time consuming difficulties were encountered in assembling the hose with the guide member, and often pedestrians or workers would trip over the separate guide member or manhole ring lying on the pavement near the opening.

The present invention overcomes these and other difficulties in the prior art in that it provides for-the speedy location of a manhole ring firmly held directly above the manhole opening and novel assembly of a hose guide member with the manhole ring, and thisis the major objectof the invention.

Other objects offthe invention include the provision of a substantially universally adjustably mounted manhole ring arandlowering the guide member to final position within the conduitto be cleaned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevation partly fragmentary and partly sectioned showing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment ofthe invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing details of the FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view partly in section showing the hose guide member mounting on the manhole ring.

FIGURE 4 is a section on line 4-4 of FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 5 is a section on line 5-5 of FIGURE l.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIGURE I shows theinvention as applied to a sewer or like conduit cleaning arrangement wherein a vertical passage 11 leads down from a manhole or like opening to a generally horizontal underground sewer conduit 12. A portable cleaning apparatus indicated at 13, which is usuallyan assemblage of mechanism mounted on a motor truck, is positioned near the top of passage 11. A flexible hose 14 having a special discharge nozzle 15 is coiled on a reel 16 that is rotatably mounted on a generally horizontal axis on the truck and usually several coiled layers of hose are accumulated on the reel.

The invention relates to special apparatus for properly lowering and'positioningi the nozzle 15 within conduit 12 without the necessity of a man entering the passage 11 and eliminating the chances of workers or passersby accidentally tripping over loose equipment.

In practice of the invention the truck is positioned with its rear end adjacent opening 10, the usual manhole cover (not shown) having been removed.

A stationary apron 17 on the'truck has secured thereto as by bolts 18 an open ended vertical mounting tube or sleeve 19 into whi'ch'slidably extends a post 21 that has an open ended horizontal tube ror'sl eeve '22fixed on its lower end. Post 21 may be secured indifferent vertically adjusted positions as by set screw 23fv ,j

A rod 24 is slidably adjustably mounted in tube 22, the horizontally adjusted position thereof being secured as by a set screw 25.

A guide member support preferably in the form of a relatively rigidmetal manhole ring 26, which preferably has an internal diameter about the diameter of opening 10, is fixed on one end of rod 24 and extends generally horizontally over opening 10. Set screws 23 and 25 are operated to effect the vertical and horizontal adjustments necessary to position ring 26 just above and in alignment with passage 11 as shown in FIGURE 1.

An inwardly projecting bracket 27 is rotatably mounted on ring 26 as by a pivot bolt 28. Ring 26 is provided with a plurality of holes 28 spaced around its circumference, one of which is selected suitably position bracket 27 approximately in location above the opening to sewer conduit 12. The bracket 27 is not tightly secured to ring 26 but is free to rotate about the axis of bolt 28 for a purpose to be described. This axis is generally horizontal when ring 26 is positioned above opening 10.

An inwardly extending arm 29 is pivoted on bracket 27 as by a pivot bolt 30 and rigidly carries at its free end a generally V-shaped jaw structure 31 that opens toward the other side of ring 26. A flexible chain 32 is pivoted at one end at 33 on one side of the jaw and its other end is pivotally connected at 34 to a bell crank lever 35 pivoted at 36 on the other side of the jaw. The foregoing provides a quick opening and closing flexible clamp for a purpose to appear.

A plate 29' fixed as by welding to the upper edge of arm 29 is provided with a threaded hole which receives a thumbscrew 40. The position of the thumbscrew hole is so selected that the lower end of thumbscrew 40 will bear again an upper flange 26' of ring 26 when arm 29 and plate 29' are in a substantially horizontal position.

A hose retainer and guide member indicated at 37 in FIGURE 3 comprises a relatively rigid frame 38 having a continuously arcuate rear end and side wall 39, a horizontal top wall 41 and a vertical front end wall 42. As shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, wall 39 is generally U-shaped in cross section with parallel sides 43 and 44 extending outwardly and terminating in oppositely outwardly flaring lips 45 and 46. Wall 39 thereby defines an outwardly open arcuately extending channel which, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, is bridged by a series of concave surfaced free rotatable rollers 49 effectively defining an arcuate roller track at the bottom of the channel.

Upstanding from the front end of top wall 41 is a short rigid mounting hollow post 47 having a socket formation at its upper end such as the threads indicated at 48. At the start of an operation, with ring 26 in adjusted position over opening 10, post 47 is initially disposed in the flexible clamp at jaw 31 and bell crank 35 rocked to tighten chain 32 around the post as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 and thereby fixedly mount hose guide member 37 on the manhole ring 26 in the dotted line position indicated in FIGURE 1. At this time hose 14 is still on the reel with the nozzle hanging above the opening as shown in dotted lines at 15' in FIGURE 1.

With post 47 secured to the manhole ring, the free end of the hose including nozzle 15 may be drawn down from reel 16 and inserted into the channel of the guide member 37, passing over rollers 49 and emerging below wall 42. A flexible retainer in the form of a relatively loose chain 51 secured across the lower open end of the channel keeps the hose from dropping down away from the guide member as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3.

At this point the free end of the hose is threaded within the guide member 37 which in turn is releasably clamped to ring 26 and located within opening 10. Now the operator attaches one or more suitable lengths of rod 52 to post 47, as by'screwing into socket 48, and releases chain 32 to allow the guide member 37 to drop away from the manhole ring. Descent of guide member 37 is controlled by the operator holding rod 52.

At its forward end frame 37 is provided with a projecting lip 53. In the event that the opening in sewer conduit 12 is not directly beneath the bracket 27, the frame 37 is moved a desired position by pivoting the rod 52, jaw structure 31 and bracket 27 about the horizontal axis of bolt 28. After frame 374 and thumbscrew 40 may be turned to pivot the entire structure'about bolt 30.

Projecting lip 53 which extends some distance to the right of a vertical plate containing pivot bolt 30 (as shown in FIGURE 1) is thereby moved upward into tight engagement with the upper surface of conduit 12, and the entire structure is rigidly secured between ring 26and sewer conduit 12. The hose can now be advanced, either manually or by application of fluid pressure, along the desired length of conduit 12. Once the desired length of hose has been introduced into conduit 12, the high pressure liquid can be discharged through the hose and the hose can be withdrawn over the rollers 49 while the high pressure liquid issuing forth from the nozzle flushes the sediment from the conduit back toward the manhole.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope ofthe invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

lclaim:

1. ln sewer cleaning or like apparatus of the type wherein a flexible hose is wound on a rotatable reel carried by a portable structure with the nozzle end of the hose available at the reel, a guide member support, means adjustably mounting said support on said structure for locating the support at optimum height and alignment with'respect to a manhole opening at thetop of'a passage leading down to a conduit to be cleaned, means for fixing said adjustment, a guide member adapted to receive the nozzle end of said hose, means on said support for releasably clamping the guide member on the support while the hose is being introduced into the guide member, means for controllably lowering the guide member carrying the hose down through the passage to the'conduit to be clea'ned,and means for clamping the lowered guide member rigidly with respect to said support.

2. In apparatus as defined inclaim 1, said support being a relatively rigid manhole ring.

3. ln apparatus as defined in claim 1, said means adjustable mounting the support comprising a first member substantially vertically adjustably mounted on said structure, and a second member rigidly connected to the support substantially horizontally mounted on said first member.

4. In apparatus as defined in claim 3 said first member being a post slidably mounted in a sleeve on said structure, said second member being a rod slidably mounted in a sleeve on the lower end of said first member, and said adjustment fixing means comprising individual securing means at each sleeve.

5. ln apparatus as defined in claim 4, said members being cylindrical and being rotatably adjustable in said sleeves.

6. ln apparatus as defined in claim 2, said guide member clamping means comprising a releasable clamp on said ring and an upstanding rigid post on said guide member adapted to be clamped to said ring.

7. ln apparatus as defined in claim 2, said support being a rigid ring secured in one end ofa member adjustably mounted on said structure, and said clamping means being mounted on the inside of said ring opposite the connection between said ring and said member.

8. In apparatus as defined in claim 1, said guide member being a frame having a post adapted to be releasably clamped to said support and an arcuate track for receiving and directingsaid hose. l

. ln apparatus as defined in claim 8, the upper end of said post having a rod'connecting formation whereby when the guide member is to be lowered down the passage a suitable length of rod may be attached to the post, said rod being of such length that when the guide member is disposed in the conduit the upper end of the rod is within the clamp and may thereby be secured rigidlytothe support.

10. In the apparatus defined in claim 1, said guide member having its upper endsecured to said support with its lower end within theconduit in rigid contact with a conduit wall.

l in the apparatus defined in claim 1, said guide member comprising a frame in which the nozzle endof said hose is supported and an upstanding rigid rod fixed to the frame clamped to said support, and said frame having a projecting lip at its lower end for firmly engaging an upper surface of said conduit adjacent the lower end of said passage when the upper end of said rod is clamped to said support. 

